Now that Sony has set Spider-Man on its rebooted path, the studio is setting its sights on other Spider-Man franchises. Case in point: Venom.

Sony has tapped Dante Harper to pen a script for Venom, something that is being envisioned as a franchise apart from and unrelated to the upcoming Spider-Man movie in the works with actor Tom Holland.

Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, among stewards of the Spider-Man properties, are producing and overseeing the project.

Venom is one of Marvel’s top villains and a Spider-Man fixture since he was introduced in 1988, created by writer David Michelinie and artists Todd McFarlane and Mike Zeck. The character is an alien symbiote that need a human host to survive. In return, the alien empowers its victim with incredible powers.

For the longest time, Venom was a villain but then morphed into an anti-hero and even (almost) good guy. In his current incarnation, Venom is paired with Flash Thompson, a Peter Parker bully-turned-close friend and now a government agent.

It is unclear which Venom incarnation is being used for the new project.

The character made its screen appearance in Spider-Man 3 and was played by Topher Grace. A spin-off has been in development in several incarnations, with Gary Ross and Josh Trank among the director coming and going, and writers such as Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (Deadpool) and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci penning versions.

This Venom is meant to not only stand on its own but to also launch its own franchise.

Last edited by WyldeMan on 4/3/2018, 9:14 am; edited 10 times in total

Rusty Cunt wrote:Because shit like AntMan and GotG made buckets of cash, so why not a random character from a main franchise they weren't happy with?

But even those movies were mostly comedy and fun. Venom is nothing like that, he's anti-hero.

@WyldeMan wrote:He's Spider-Man with big clankers and a shitty attitude.

Also, why not?

Maybe it's just me. We'll see how it turns out. Again, I liked that Truth in Journalism short that we saw a while back. I don't think we'll see anything like that though. Venom looked great in Spider-Man 3 but Topher Grace......

@WyldeMan wrote:He's Spider-Man with big clankers and a shitty attitude.

Also, why not?

Maybe it's just me. We'll see how it turns out. Again, I liked that Truth in Journalism short that we saw a while back. I don't think we'll see anything like that though. Venom looked great in Spider-Man 3 but Topher Grace......

They'll probably offer it to Taron Egerton or Tye Sheridan cause those two kids seem to be getting all the offers Chris Pratt was a year ago.

Venom is heading to the big screen. Spider-Man’s nemesis, sharp of fang, flexible of morals, will get his own adventure, Sony said on Thursday. The spin-off film will swing into theaters on Oct. 5, 2018. Venom is a favorite of comic fans; the alien has long terrorized the web-slinging hero.

To make room, Sony will move “The Girl in the Spider’s Web,” Fede Alvarez’s “Dragon Tattoo” reboot from Oct. 5 to Oct. 19. It will face off against “Jungle Book: Origins,” Warner Bros.’ take on the Rudyard Kipling stories, and an untitled film from Blumhouse, the low-budget horror purveyor behind “The Purge” and “Get Out.”

In a rare bit of Hollywood cooperation between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, both studios reached an agreement that will allow them to share–and benefit from–Spider-Man appearing on the big screen. But while Marvel has Tom Holland cast as Peter Parker, who made his introduction in Captain America: Civil War and will be leading Spider-Man: Homecoming, Sony still owns the cinematic portrayals of the web-crawler and something on the order of 900 Marvel characters. It goes without saying that they’d like to capitalize on that intellectual property.

We’re already seeing this happen. Fox example, the recent story that Sony has hired screenwriter Chris Yost (Thor: Ragnarok) to write the script for Spider-Man characters Black Cat and Silver Sable, building on a previous version of the script Lisa Joy (Westworld); Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal will produce the film previously known as the “secret female spin-off project.” However, there’s also the previously announced Venomstandalone film and its recently confirmed release date of October 5, 2018. Scripted by Dante Harper (Alien: Covenant) and produced by Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, we’re hearing that Sony is developing Venom not only as the film to launch their own Marvel Universe, but as an R-rated effort.

Keep in mind that this is the plan we’re hearing about at the moment and that things could still change between now and late 2018—especially once a director signs on and has his or her own vision—but it’s certainly an interesting approach to building Sony’s Marvel Universe. Andrew Garfield‘s take on Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man films was fine, but apparently not a direction the studio wanted to continue pursuing, despite tallying nearly $1.5 billion from just two films. Instead, the newly retooled Sony’s Marvel Universe will launch with an R-rated Venom that is expected to keep its budget modest. It sounds like Sony’s taking notes on the successes of both the MCU and 20th Century Fox’s Deadpool and Logan, and applying them to their own substantial stable of superheroes and supervillains.

Let’s be clear: Sony’s Marvel Universe will not be connected to the MCU in any way (sorry, Guardians of the Galaxyfans, but a Venom crossover is highly dubious) and the planned Venom and Black Cat and Silver Sable films are all part of Sony’s own shared universe, not spin-offs of any existing films. Marvel’s Kevin Feige has nothing to do with these films; it’s Tom Rothman, chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Motion Picture Group, who’s calling the shots. The announcement of Venom‘s release date tells us that the execs are happy with the script and the new direction they’re embarking on, but with no director set for either film, obviously things can still change since all of the announced films are still in development.

What I really want to hear more about is Venom‘s tone and story. An R-rating allows for a lot of room for creativity, but just how are they going to bring the alien symbiote into the story? (And, no, Life is not a Venom prequel.) I’m not sure how Venom is going to be introduced without Spider-Man acting as its first known host, unless Sony’s either going off-book with the introduction or will mention this origin story of sorts in a passing manner. What I can see is Venom being a really interesting horror film in which the alien symbiote is a parasitic entity driving its hosts insane, or even more interesting, a revenge tale in which its host uses the powers and abilities granted to him (or her) to exact vengeance, similar to the plot of Death Note. And who will it focus on, Eddie Brock, Mac Gargan, Ann Weying, or maybe even just Peter Parker? (Probably not Deadpool…) In other words, I don’t know how Sony will pull off a supervillain-focused film, but I’m very interested in seeing what they come up with.

Fleischer showcased his ability to bring together dark themes and humor in “Zombieland,” and according to sources, Hardy is a huge fan of Venom. Hardy’s only previous film in the superhero genre is 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” in which he played another baddie, Bane.

Scott Rosenberg (“Jumanji”) and Jeff Pinkner (“The Dark Tower”) will write the script for “Venom,” with Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach producing the movie, along with Amy Pascal. Palak Patel and Eric Fineman are overseeing the project for Columbia Pictures.

Since its inception in 1988, Venom has been one of “Spider-Man’s” most popular characters, making it a top priority for the studio to get a movie off the ground. The character is an alien symbiote that needs a human host to survive. The alien vests its victim with incredible powers. Venom made his first big-screen appearance in Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 3,” where he was portrayed by Topher Grace.

Throughout the history of Marvel Comics, Venom has appeared alongside Spider-Man, Iron Man, Deadpool, Hulk, and other Marvel Comics characters.

Hardy most recently starred in the FX series “Taboo” and can be seen next in Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic “Dunkirk.” He is repped by CAA and United Agents.

The film marks Fleischer’s first major tentpole since signing with CAA last year. He has primarily been working in the TV world, specifically on Netflix’s “Santa Clarita Diet.” He is also currently developing a sequel to “Zombieland.”

Hardy posted a photo of himself in a Venom T-shirt to celebrate the announcement.

Ordinarily I'd be happy when Tom joins a film but he's stretched so damned thin these days. I wonder when he's gonna have time for another Mad Max film with all the other film franchises and two tv shows he's already starring in.

Ordinarily I'd be happy when Tom joins a film but he's stretched so damned thin these days. I wonder when he's gonna have time for another Mad Max film with all the other film franchises and two tv shows he's already starring in.

Very valid concern given that Ruben Fleischer's filmography hasn't exactly ignited the box office. I love Zombieland but in the 8 years since there's only been Gangster Squad which bombed massively and some tv episodes of shows like Netflix's Santa Clarita Diet and NBC's Superstore.

The Rogue One: A Star Wars Story star is in talks to join Sony's Venom, the studio's first spin-off in a shared universe based on Spider-Man characters. Ahmed's character is being kept under wraps, but insiders say he would not be playing the villain Carnage, which Sony has been looking to cast. Sources say he was considered for the role before script changes were made.

Tom Hardy is starring in Venom as the title character, who in the comic books is a photographer named Eddie Brock who, when bonded with an alien symbiote, becomes Venom. He's been both a nemesis of Spider-Man, as well as an anti-hero and protector of the innocent.

Zombieland's Ruben Fleischer is directing Venom, which Sony hopes will be the the first in a series of movies based on Spider-Man characters. It is also developing the Silver Sable/Black Cat movie Silver & Black from director Gina Prince-Bythewood.

Sony is riding high when it comes to Spidey following Spider-Man: Homecoming, the studio's collaboration with Marvel Studios, which received a strong response and has grossed more than $675 million worldwide since opening last month.

Ahmed, who performs music under the name Riz MC, recently starred in the acclaimed HBO drama The Night Of, which scored him a Golden Globe nomination.

The actor is in talks for an undisclosed role in Venom, the Tom Hardy-led Spider-Man offshoot from Sony.

Hardy is starring as the popular Marvel Comics antihero with Riz Ahmed, Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate also on the roll call.

If a deal is made, it would mark a reunion for Harrelson with helmer Ruben Fleischer, who directed the actor in the hit 2009 zombie comedy Zombieland. Venom is already deep into production — filming began in October — and rumors of Harrelson's involvement have swirled on-and-off.

Sony, which had no comment, will release Venom on Oct. 5, 2018.

Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal are producing the project.

Harrelson starred in War for the Planet of the Apes and can be seen in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which is generating considerable buzz this awards season. He also has a part in next year’s Han Solo film, Solo: A Star Wars Story.

@joey con carne wrote:It's only a teaser but it's a shitty teaser! But, I learned my lesson with Ready Player One. I won't judge a movie by it's trailer. I'll give this a shot with low expectations when it comes out.

Come on man you've forgotten the golden rule of cinema and it goes back to our earliest experiences in movie theaters, always judge a movie by it's poster!